


Different from the Start

by iaintafraidofnoghostbear



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23200543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iaintafraidofnoghostbear/pseuds/iaintafraidofnoghostbear
Summary: They’re not dating. They could be, Travis supposes, if they felt that way about each other but . . . it’s not quite like that.
Relationships: Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick
Comments: 12
Kudos: 199
Collections: Flyers Fic Exchange





	Different from the Start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [growlery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/growlery/gifts).

> I hope you enjoy this! <3 Please do keep in mind that I tried to write this from TK's probably-less-than-knowledgeable perspective, so while he can't define it for himself, I do intend to portray one version of a qpp here.

They’re not dating. They could be, Travis supposes, if they felt that way about each other but . . . it’s not quite like that. Not for him, and he’s pretty sure not for Patty, too. It’s sort’ve how he feels with Lawson: an incredible kind of personal comfort, a closeness. Sure, Travis is pretty liberal when it comes to physical affection with all of his friends, but this is still different. He wouldn’t like, curl up to take a nap with Ivan. Hell, he’s not even sure he would rub Lawson’s temples for him when he had a headache. His relationship with Pats is just … different, that’s all. 

Of course, being hockey players, there’s no way the boys are going to let them get away without saying something about it. All of the “old married couple” jokes are pretty tame, though; after all, Claude had been a lot worse with Danny B back in the day, and the guys who have relatively new relationships are still in their honeymoon phase and make for much easier targets. So, they take their fare share of shit, but it’s pretty par for the course. 

Only once does Claude sit Travis down and try to have a serious talk with him about it, but it was something Travis only realized after. It hit him after he’d already gotten home that all of Claude’s earnest promises that Travis could always talk to him about things and how he’d make sure that nobody bothered him that Claude thought he might be gay. Which, valid, he guesses. He hasn’t bothered dating a lot lately, and maybe he  _ isn’t _ exactly straight, but that’s not like. An issue he’s ready to deal with right now. 

He’s dozing on Nolan’s couch with Nolan spooned up behind him when Nolan brings it up. 

“G talk to you?” he mumbles, so quiet Travis wouldn’t have heard him if they weren’t this close together. 

“‘Bout him having my back? Yeah. You too?” 

“Yeah.” A few long moments pass, long enough that Travis almost falls back asleep. “I might be. You know. Not gay, but bi, or whatever.” 

Travis blinks at the TV and he realizes that Nolan’s gone tense, and is starting to pull away. He nabs his wrist and wraps Nolan’s arm back around his middle. “Yeah well. Me too, maybe. I dunno. But I’m not gonna be mad if you are, either way.” 

Nolan’s sigh ruffles Travis’ hair and makes him shiver slightly. He pats Nolan’s hand and they both relax again. On a whim, Travis rolls over and studies Nolan’s face. His eyes are darker in the half-light of the living room, and there’s a distinct flush in his cheeks. Travis tries to project what he’s going to do, but Nolan still doesn’t pull away. Their lips meet in a slow press, light at first. Travis tries to make it deeper, and it’s nice but it’s not like. Hot or magical or whatever. It’s just a kiss. Nolan sighs again, the barest hint of a smile quirking his lips when Travis pulls back to look at him.

“I -” he tries, but his smile fades and Travis can see him bite the inside of his cheek. 

“I don’t want to change things,” Travis blurts, anxiety suddenly swelling in his chest. 

“Me either.” It comes out in a rush that tells Travis that Nolan is as nervous as he is. “We don’t - it doesn’t have to be other stuff, right? Just. Us.” A shaky hand comes up and touches Travis’ bottom lip. “And maybe that? If you want.” 

“Yeah.” Travis doesn’t mean to whisper it, but he does. He has to take a moment to clear his throat, but he manages to be louder this time. “Yeah, Patty. I want that.” 

Nolan leans in to kiss him again, then. It’s still soft, without the heat Travis is used to, when kissing leads to more. Nolan makes a tiny noise into his mouth and Travis feels his heart squeeze. They’re both pink when they break apart, and Travis presses closer, hiding his face against Nolan’s shoulder, suddenly feeling terribly vulnerable. Nolan’s arms wrap around him and they cling together for a little while.

It feels a little different after that, but not in a bad way. Now that they’ve acknowledged it like this, their relationship feels exciting and new. They cuddle more, and steal the odd kiss when they’re alone. It never heats up or goes beyond that, but - after a slow, careful conversation - they’ve realized that’s exactly what they want. They’re boyfriends, if people ask, but only the team really does. Of course, the teasing now includes chirping them for holding hands and Ivan rolling his eyes good-naturedly on the odd occasion Nolan forsakes him to sit with Travis on the plane. 

They go out on a date during the bye week. It’s weird, at first. Nolan’s definitely not comfortable and the formal setting is a lot. Eventually, Travis reaches for his hand. 

“Dude, we can go. This is . . . weird, yeah? Let’s go get steak.” He leaves a nice tip for the somewhat baffled waiter, and they get an Uber to their favorite steakhouse. This is better, and Travis manages to get Nolan to laugh more than once. He’s grinning himself by the time they leave. 

Nolan gets quiet on the way home, but Travis doesn’t think a lot of it. Patty does that, goes still and distant while he’s in his head or when he’s just tired. Only when they’ve gotten home and shed their ties and dress shirts does he shake himself out of it. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, pulling on his shorts. 

Travis turns to look at him, but Nolan won’t quite meet his eye. He comes when Travis tugs him into his arms, but he drops his forehead against Travis’ shoulder. “What’re you apologizing for, bud?” 

“For ruining your plans. Making it weird.” 

With a sigh, Travis gives him a small squeeze. “You didn’t ruin anything. It was weird. Too….romantic, right? It wasn’t very us.” 

The small sound of agreement Nolan makes is a relief. Gently, Travis nudges him back and cups his face, only going on when Nolan actually looks at him. 

“We don’t have to do stuff like that. We can just do our regular thing, because it’s good, right? Just us?” 

Nolan nods, and leans forward. The kiss is as soft as always, but Travis feels Nolan’s tension bleed out with every press of their lips. 

“C’mon. Bed.” This is fairly new, still, but Nolan doesn’t hesitate. As soon as they’ve got their teeth brushed, they climb into bed. Nolan tucks himself into Travis’ side, head on his chest. Wrapping an arm around Nolan’s shoulders, Travis holds him close and drops a kiss to the top of his head. They’re great, just like this.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[podfic] Different from the Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25264459) by [Annapods](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annapods/pseuds/Annapods)


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